You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.
Charles Buxton
Learn to pause...or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.
Doug King
Ah, summer! Officially, 94 days starting June 21st and ending the third week of September, but for many, more a function of the weather and the school calendar. Either way, it always seems far too short.
Want to have the best summer in years? Maybe the best summer ever? Here are three quick exercises to help you do just that. Think you don't have time? Each one takes five minutes or less, but can be invaluable for setting the foundation now for a relaxing, refreshing and personally satisfying summer. Grab a cup of coffee or an iced tea and set aside a little time to do them all or just one each day. All it takes is just a little planning and focus to completely eliminate coming into this fall with feelings of regret or disappointment at not getting accomplished what mattered most.
Coaching Exercises:
1) Right now, pull out or open up your calendar and schedule/block out your vacation days thru the end of the year.
Did you know that only 38% of American workers took all of their vacation days in 2010? According to the most recent international data Americans forfeited 448 million vacation days in the past year. Don't be one of these people! Not only did they leave over $67.5 billion on the table. (based on an average wage of $39.208/hour), they missed out on the stress-reduction, pleasure and health benefits of taking their vacation time.
Post-recession workers are even more stressed and over-worked on the job, as they have been forced to pick up the slack from fewer workers and more work to do. Do not wait to schedule your days off for a time "when things look a little lighter", or, "it seems like a good time", as in these circumstances it is likely that there will never be a time that you feel you can leave comfortably. Simply plan it, block out the time, let everyone know and then take it when the time comes up. Taking care of yourself is the first step to being able to effectively take care of others, and providing all the other things that people count on you for. (See Framingham Heart Study)*
2) Ask yourself this question: "What do I most need to accomplish before the end of summer in order to feel satisfied that I had a productive summer?"
Usually when you think about it, there is only a very short list of projects or tasks that need to be done in order for you to feel that you have been reasonably productive over this time period. It might be finishing up the research and getting a proposal out the door. It might be making a decision about converting to a new software, narrowing the field of candidates for a key position and selecting one, leading your team through the implementation of an important new initiative or project, or "piece" of a project,or, some other "must do" in the workplace. Outside of work, it might be something like stain the deck, replace the crumbling driveway or visit enough college campuses so that your high school senior can make a decision about where they are going to actually attend school.
It's different for everybody. The key is to pick the one or two things that you will need to accomplish in order to be able to feel good about what you have accomplished this summer. This does not mean that you can't do more if you have the time and feel so inclined, but that you have strategically selected the minimum you must accomplish to feel "reasonably" productive.
3) Ask yourself, "What's the one thing that I could do to bring more joy into my summer?"
This question is a variation of one of the classic appreciative inquiry questions provided by Jackie Kelm in her book, The Joy of Appreciative Living. Put some thought into this. Many times, it's not the big things that bring us joy. It's the small things, and noticing and appreciating the small things, that bring us those moments of pleasure, well-being and happiness.
Maybe it's taking a few minutes to have your morning coffee on the porch. Maybe it's getting more music in your life by setting up a Pandora account on your computer and listening to your favorite music on breaks, or, finding all the outdoor concerts in your community and scheduling them into your calendar. It could be planning more "ala fresco" dinners with friends, taking your kids to the perfect place to lie on blankets and watch the stars or making the energy and abundance of the local farmers' market a weekly habit. You choose, but pick something that will enhance the quality of your life this summer, and then, build in time and give yourself permission to do it.
Have a beautiful summer and let me know your ideas and experiences with these exercises!
Recommended Reading
* Framingham Heart Study: Probably the best evidence of the effects of vacations can be found in the Framingham Heart Study, http://www.framinghamheartstudy.org/ which scientists have been plumbing for years to understand what contributes to our well-being. More than 12,000 men who were at risk of heart disease were followed over nine years to see if there were ways to improve their longevity. Among the questions they were asked annually was about vacations."The more frequent the vacations, the longer the men lived," says Matthews, who analyzed the data to assess the benefits of vacations.
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